Wow what a month April was! Lots of raising awareness and some fabulous events and fundraising. The amazing Paul Nuttall is a Local Hero! He ran for Express in the London Marathon. Paul’s running and your support meant Paul made the #LocalHero leaderboard winning a prize of £100 for Express so thank you all round! We finished with a fabulous evening with Dean Beadle full of joy, emotion and 80s classics!

Please do let us know if you have any events planned for Express.

As well as all our regular support groups we are very pleased to offer a new support group for parent/carers of young people with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). Whether you are pre diagnosis, going through the process or have valuable experience to share, please do come along/drop in to a supportive friendly environment.
Contact deirdre@expresscic.org.uk for further information.

Thank you to John who ran the Greater Manchester Marathon & Paul who ran in the London Marathon for Express. Visit our page onLocal Giving to thank them both.

Our thanks also to both Burlington school and Lime Tree provision who held cakes and popcorn sales for us helping to raise vital funds for Express - we are very grateful to pupils, staff and families!

It's that time of year again, lots of adverts looking towards the Summer holidays! If you are super organised and are looking at booking please do remember to go via EasyFundraising and raise free donations for Express!

Take a break, make yourself a cuppa & scroll down for lots of information, events, groups and articles.

We have been meeting lots of new parents, many who have only just found out about express. If you work in a school or other setting, please do pass on our details and spread the word. Parents really do benefit from the support of other parents who 'get it'. We offer telephone and email support as well as group and one to one support.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to you all for being part of the Express community!

What is the Access Card?

Information, Evidence, Discounts and Opportunities for Disabled People

The Access Card is a card like no other, we translate your disability / impairment into symbols which highlight the barriers you face and the reasonable adjustments you might need.

This then informs providers quickly and discreetly about the support you need and may gain you access to things like concessionary ticket prices and complex reasonable adjustments without having to go into loads of personal detail.

Its all based on your rights under the Equality Act and providers responsibilities.

Have you tried our interactive projector? We have had this for quite some time and are now opening up some slots for some individual chill out time - post drop-off or pre pick-up come and relax with your pre-schooler with a coffee and some interactive fun.
Email us at info@expresscic.org.uk for available slots.

Express CIC are working with the H.I.S Project to offer Parent Workshops Suzy Rowland is a local autism parent keen to share insights and experience of raising and educating an autistic child. After a long fight to get a diagnosis for her son and a longer struggle to find the right school for him, she set up the H.I.S project (HappyinSchool). The current programme is ideal for parents of children diagnosed (or pre-diagnosis) on the autism spectrum attending a mainstream primary school. Her approach is fun and highly interactive.

If you’re looking for techniques and tips to stay on top of what’s going on at school and would like further information on future workshops
contact info@expresscic.org.uk with your name, contact details, age of child and postcode.

Come and join our lovely Drama Group. We are having so much fun with our budding actors!

We are currently supporting over 25 children every week attending our groups. To be able to offer our groups we rely on fundraising and donations.

You can support us from as little as £2 per month and help us offer more spaces.

Please take a look at LocalGiving and see how you can help! Your donation really can make a difference!

We need your help! We need some recent quotes for an application we are making.
Please let us know how we are doing or how we have helped you and your family.
Please email your comments to info@expresscic.org.uk
Thank you 😊

express Support GroupsIf you haven't yet been to one of our parent/carer support groups, please do come along. We are all very friendly and these groups are run by and for you. These groups are for whether you are currently going through diagnosis, have just received a diagnosis or have valuable experience to share. We run both daytime and evening groups.

We’ve had some amazing feedback from our groups and we’d love to share it with you:

“We are over the moon with the progress he has made in your Drama therapy group. it is such great news that **** feels comfortable enough to be able to speak and interact with other people in Drama therapy, I can tell when he comes out at the end of the session that he is happy to have found somewhere other than home where he feels comfortable enough to speak and be himself, after his first session on the way home, he kept saying "I can speak".”

“To hear how he is able to be himself and be increasingly flexible (albeit in small steps) is wonderful. Thank you so much to you, your assistant and to Express for this valuable opportunity.”

“I really cannot thank you and Isabella enough for the time and effort you put into running this group- ***** has really come ‘alive’ since attending and she is always really excited about it, she even asks if we can go there on random days during the week! I think it is also having a really positive impact at school as she is far more vocal and confident in her own ability across many activities.”

“last week **** went on his first residential trip with school. A year ago this would not have been possible but since the group we have noticed how much easier he finds social interactions with his peers at school, this gave him the confidence to go on the trip. Thank you”

We are now taking referrals. If you would like further information and to download a referral form please visit our website on www.expresscic.org.uk/groups

#autism #adhd #dramatherapy #drama

Whilst running the office and developing services we continue to work on our bigger goal. We are making progress. It may be slow but we will get there

A quick summary of what's on offer at express, all details can be found on our website www.expresscic.org.uk including referral forms (we accept self referrals):

Mondays:Counselling by appt. (referral needed)
Yoga Club for autistic children and young people (referral needed)
NEW Drama Club (application form needed)

Tuesdays:
Counselling by appt. (referral needed)
Siblings Group (referral needed)
Girls Group (referral needed)
Last Tues of the month (term time): Parent Support Group

The group runs from the Waggon and Horses in Surbiton 7.30-9.30pm on the first Thursday of the month, term time (next group 2nd MAY). Come along, say hello and meet some other Mums.
To register your interest, please email info@expresscic.org.uk

Express Dad's Group

The group runs from the Waggon and Horses in Surbiton 7.30-9.30pm on the second Wednesday of the month, term time (next group8th May). Come along, say hello and meet some other Dads.
To register your interest, please email info@expresscic.org.uk

We have a small number of people who have very kindly set up Direct Debits to support express. We really appreciate their support. It's good to know we have some regular money coming in to contribute to the costs of running the office, providing services and support.

We really do need more lovely people to consider setting up Direct Debits. It's a secure way to donate and we can claim Gift Aid!
You can donate from as little as £2 per month and make a HUGE difference to express.

We get invited to many events and we do our best to attend when we can. We are a very small team so sometimes it is not possible but do let us know if there is something you would like us to come along to.

Take a look at details of our groups and referral forms. We are taking referrals for all key stages and we will look at matching similar age groups. Depending on eligibility and criteria you may be able to apply for Activity Fund to support with costs.

We are still working on providing even more evidence that there is a need for services! We really do need all parents/carers to take a few minutes to complete our survey.